We Owned the Night
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: NHL Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning plus my OC Camryn, the NHL's newest female star. Complicated story plot so please see inside for the full summary!
1. Full Summary

**I posted a summary in my other story, Love the Way You Lie, but I decided to tweak it a bit as I thought more about what I wanted to do with this plot line. Here is the full summary! I'm gonna go ahead and start writing chapter one right away : ) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All characters in this story ARE based off of real people aside from my OC Camyrn. They DO NOT reflect any actual events/opinions/personalities of the actual hockey players in real life (hints the fact it's a fictional story…but some people don't always get that lol). **

_Camyrn Payne has made her way into the NHL. After getting kicked off of her college team for (literally) being too good, she fiercely pursued getting into the National Hockey League. The Washington Capitals picked her up about a quarter of the way into their season and Elizabeth soon found her niche in the world. She became fast friends with the younger players on the team: John Carlson, Marcus Johansson, and Mathieu Perreault. The four friends soon become inseparable and form a unique clique. However, the playoffs didn't go as planned and the Capitals were blanked by the Tampa Bay Lightning. _

_Sad and disheartened, the four best friends decide to take a couple weeks off and away from DC to clear their heads before their off-season really begins. Their destination? Tampa Bay, Florida. The friends hit the beach and goof off, having a great time, but soon long to be on the ice for a bit, even just for fun. They run into a certain handsome, young Tampa Bay Lightning player who invites them to the rink for a fun skate for the afternoon. It isn't long after that that Camyrn finds herself rather attracted to this certain hockey player from the team that just blanked her own._

_Tension mounts as the two grow closer together and the four best friends end up extending their stay in Tampa. Although they do not approve of Camryn's choice, MoJo and Perreault are happy that she's happy…Carlson on the other hand is anything BUT happy. As he begins to unravel exactly why it is that this hockey player fawning over Camyrn bothers him so much, he begins to wonder if he's lost something that would have meant more to him than his own life. Never really caring that much for anyone but himself, this new realization throws Carlson for a loop and he struggles to tell Camryn how he feels all amidst watching the Tampa player woo her. Is it too late for Carlson? Has Camryn found her true love? Will this romance split up the friendship that the four have forged so tightly?_

_Romance, adventure, jealousy and conquest all in one : )_

**Title of the story is based on the song "We Owned the Night" by Lady Antebellum**


	2. Getting Out of Dodge

**This is more of an intro/set-up chapter for the rest of the story. I promise it gets more entertaining after this : ) I'll work on the next update sometime tomorrow hopefully! **

Camyrn paced anxiously back and forth in the tiny apartment. She chewed absently on the end of her fingernail as she glanced around at her three best friends sitting in various positions in the cramped room. They all looked exhausted, angry, hurt and upset about what had happened less than twenty-four hours ago. It was just too impossible to wrap their minds around it…they couldn't even comprehend what had just occurred.

"I just…I just don't see how the hell it went down like that," muttered MoJo as he slammed his fist down on the armrest of the recliner for the fifth time that hour, "I just don't get it. What the hell…I mean really…what the _hell_ happened!"

Carlson stared out the window absently, not reacting to his friend's latest outburst. Marcus Johansson had been snapping randomly the past several hours. It was his way of dealing with this shit. John Carlson's way was to stay incredibly quiet and retreat into himself to try and find an answer to the question they were all asking.

Camyrn felt a pang in her heart as she glanced around at her best friends. It was never supposed to end like this. Hell she was the "promised one" who was supposed to deliver the Washington Capitals to the "promised land" of the Stanley Cup finals. And yet here they were…all piled in Mathieu Perreault's apartment moping and venting after being blanked in round two by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Camyrn cursed herself silently. How the hell could she have let this happen?

Camyrn came into the Capitals locker room about a quarter of the way into the season right when the boys were in a major slump and picked the team up off their feet. Her enthusiasm and absolute refusal to allow the critics to get her down pumped the team up night after night. They clawed their way back up to the top of the Eastern Conference and were soon chosen by all the so-called "experts" to be the next Stanley Cup contenders…but then the shit hit the fan. After shutting down the Rangers in round one, the Capitals lost their edge and never regained it. Their momentum was gone and no matter what Camyrn or the other leaders of the Caps team tried to do, they just couldn't get it back. The Lightning were on a roll and steamrolled right passed the Capitals and onto the third round.

"So…what now?" asked MoJo after a while, "What the hell do we do now?"

Carlson again didn't react. Camyrn gave him a concerned look before she glanced over at Perreault. He looked like he was about to break into tears and didn't offer any quick responses to MoJo's question either.

"Well we sure as hell can't stay here," said Camyrn after a moment, "Moping and dwelling on this isn't going to change a thing…it's only going to make us feel that much worse. "

"I agree," said Perreault, finally looking up from his spot on the sofa, "But…where do we go? Back to our homes?"

Carlson looked up quickly at that and glanced around the room, his eyes panicked, "What? Who said anything about going home? We can't go home! Hell we all just started getting to know each other!"

Camyrn, Perreault and MoJo all nodded in silent agreement. For the past three months the four friends had literally been inseparable. Whether it was at the rink, practice, after-parties or just hanging out on the weekends, they always stuck together. The very thought of going their separate ways made them all edgy.

"No I don't want to go home yet," said Camyrn, quickly easing Carlson's fears with a reassuring look.

Carlson sighed in relief and gave Camyrn a little quirky smile. She rolled her eyes at the sight and tried to hide a smirk of amusement. Perreault and MoJo gave each other knowing looks and tried to not laugh out loud at the sight. It was no secret that Carlson had a thing for Camyrn, what with her long, dark brown hair and hazel eyes and perfect body, there wasn't much not to like. The only person who was oblivious to all of this was Camyrn herself.

"So…why don't we all go on a vacation or something?" suggested Perreault, "I mean, you know, take a few weeks off and just get outta D.C….go have some fun, you know?"

"I'm game!" said MoJo as he fist-bumped with Perreault, "Where we going?"

Camyrn bit her lower lip and thought for a moment, "Why not Florida? It's getting warmer…and a few weeks at the beach could fix this whole pasty-white problem I've got going on."

"Hell yeah!" shouted MoJo excitedly, "Florida equals good booze, good beaches and even better women, eh?"

MoJo and Perreault fist-bumped again and Camyrn rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Guys this is supposed to be a vacation for us to all hang out…not go trolling for hook-up partners."

"The downsides of having a girl as a best friend," muttered Perreault under his breath, making MoJo laugh.

"Guys, seriously," said Carlson, trying to be the voice of reason between the three men in the room, "I think it's a great idea…"

"Of course he would," muttered MoJo in Perreault's ear, "If Camyrn said let's all go jump off a cliff he'd smile and say okay then jump first."

"What are they saying?" asked Camyrn in annoyance.

"I don't even wanna know," grumbled Carlson, "Alright, guys for real, knock the shit off alright? Let's do this…let's go to Florida and kick back for a few weeks…forget about the shit in D.C. and just move on with our lives, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah okay," said MoJo with a sigh, "Where in Florida?"

Camyrn paused for a long moment before she replied, "Well…the Tampa Bay area is nice…"

Instantly all three guys in the room started protesting loudly at just the mention of "Tampa Bay."

"Oh, hell no," said MoJo, "I thought the point of this was to get away from all that shit, not go to Tampa fucking Bay! Hell no!"

"Oh come on!" said Camyrn, giving MoJo an exasperated look, "Tampa Bay has amazing beaches, great resorts, and great places to eat and hang out! Who gives a shit what hockey team is there? It's not like we're gonna see them anyway."

"Yeah cause they're still in the playoffs," growled Perreault, "Thanks for the reminder, Camyrn."

Camyrn threw her hands up in the air in frustration, "I swear to God you are the most frustrating human beings on the planet!"

Carlson stood up from his chair and gave Camyrn a long look, "Easy, calm down," he said, holding her shoulders, "They're just kids…you know how they can be."

"Oh please," sneered Perreault, "You're no different than us! Hell you're the same age as us you asshole!"

"Pleasant isn't he?" muttered Carlson, "Alright guys come on…Camyrn's right. Who gives a shit about their hockey team that's not why we're going down there. Let's just hit up Tampa Bay, get wasted, lay on the beach and enjoy our lives, alright? None of this drama shit about the damn Bolts, got it?"

Perreault and MoJo exchanged a look, "Fine, whatever," muttered MoJo with an eye roll, "Whatever Camyrn says goes anyway around here."

"Duh," said Camyrn with a feigned smug look on her face, "I am the only girl around here and we all know that the man is the head but the girl is the neck that turns it."

Carlson smirked at that while Perreault and MoJo muttered about them under their breaths.

"Fine, so let's just order the plane tickets and get the hell outta here, what you guy say?" asked Carlson.

"Ah, hell, why not?" said MoJo, "Booze, beaches and babes, let's do it!"

"Dear Lord," muttered Camyrn while Perreault and MoJo high-fived each other.

Carlson just smirked as he slung an arm over Camyrn's shoulders, "Don't worry about them…I promise I won't troll for girls or get wasted…well okay I'll get wasted once in awhile."

Camyrn laughed, "Do whatever makes you happy, John…I'm just glad we're getting away from the city for awhile. I don't think I could stand being here much longer after what just happened."

"That makes two of us," said Carlson with a sigh, "Come on…we'd better go order all four plane tickets. Those jokers over there are too busy worrying about how many women and how much booze they'll pick up to figure out how to get to Tampa."

Camyrn smirked and nodded in agreement as she and Carlson went to the other room and sat down at a computer to order the plane tickets. They were about to go on an adventure that none of them would ever be able to forget…some for better…and some…for considerably worse…

…

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	3. Beaches and Bad Ideas

"Damn take a look at that one would you?" muttered Perreault as he nudged Marcus Johansson.

MoJo gave a long, appreciative whistle as he lifted his sunglasses up to get a better look, "Holy shit…yeah I'd tap that…a few times."

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Camyrn as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

John Carlson smirked, "Hey you gotta give them credit…they waited until day three of the trip to start babe-hunting."

Camyrn didn't respond to that. She hated it when Perreault and MoJo did their little "trolling for women" shit. It was so stupid. She tried to ignore their blatantly rude comments and tried to focus on the fact that they were all in Tampa Bay, Florida soaking up some delicious sun on a gorgeous beach and sipping on umbrella drinks. It was so refreshing and so different from D.C….which was just what the doctor ordered.

Carlson reached over and brushed Camyrn's hand lightly with his to get her attention, "Hey," he said in that soft, rough voice of his, "Don't sweat it, alright? Let them do their thing…we'll just do ours, okay?"

Camyrn couldn't help but smile a little when she glanced over at John. He always knew the right things to say and always had a way of making her smile regardless of what was going on.

"Yeah…you're right," she said with a sigh as she lay back down on her lounge chair, "You're always right."

Carlson couldn't help but give a little cocky grin at that as he let his eyes wander down Camyrn's sleek body. Damn she looked good in that little black bikini. He mentally told himself to tear his eyes away from her. The last thing he needed was MoJo or Perreault catching a glimpse of him checking out their teammate. Little did they all know how much he had begun to care for Camyrn over the past few weeks. He was surprised the guys hadn't said anything yet…it was so obvious…painfully so. He had stopped trolling for women with the rest of the younger guys on the team and he'd even stopped partying so much. Instead he had begun to make excuses to hang out with Camyrn. There was no way in hell MoJo and Perreault hadn't noticed but he was grateful that they hadn't said anything…yet. But sitting here staring at Camyrn's bikini-clad body wasn't going to help his case at all if he got caught. With that thought in mind, Carlson pulled down his shades, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, visions of the beautiful girl lying next to him dancing in his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

…

John Carlson was jolted awake as a splash of icy cold water hit him full-on in the face. He sputtered and choked on the salt water as he tried to blink open his eyes. Perreault and MoJo howled with laughter while Camyrn tried to stifle a giggle at the sight of a very-flustered-looking John Carlson.

"I swear to God I will get you assholes back!" shouted Carlson, trying to sound threatening but unable to hide a small smirk of amusement.

Perreault and MoJo skipped out of the way before Carlson could get up and retaliate. Camyrn laughed openly at their obvious fear of Carlson's reaction.

"You guys are ridiculous," she said, shaking her head.

"While the hell did you morons wake me up anyway?" asked Carlson as he dried his face off with a towel from the resort they were staying at.

"Well," said MoJo, straightening himself up and flashing a look over at Camyrn, "Wanted to inform you of our female friend's 'wonderful' idea for us to do this evening."

Camyrn rolled her eyes at MoJo, "Oh come off it, it's a good idea and you know it! You're just jealous that you didn't come up with it yourself."

Perreault laughed at that, "Oh yes, MoJo and I are soooo jealous we didn't think that it'd be a 'great idea' to hang out in enemy territory for the night. You're right, you got us."

"They're just being dramatic," said Camyrn, trying to explain herself, "I just thought it'd be fun for us to go skating…for fun for once, not for work, not for practice, just to hang out and do what we do best, you know?"

"If we were doing what we do best we would still be playing," muttered Perreault, looking dejected.

"See this is why we need to hit the ice for a bit," explained Camyrn as she put a comforting arm around Perreault, "We need to go have some fun at what we do best. We can't just stop skating and playing hockey because we feel sorry for ourselves! I'd rather come off an ice rink with a good taste in my mouth, you know?"

Carlson glanced around at the three friends before he spoke, "So…what you're suggesting is, if I got this all figured out, is that we, meaning us Capitals players, go to the Bolts' rink, the guys that just swept us in the playoffs, and skate around?"

Camyrn winced a little, "You don't have to put it quite like that."

"How else do we put it?" protested MoJo, "I mean really…how bad is this gonna look if the media gets wind of four Caps players fooling around in the Bolts' rink?"

"Who cares?" sneered Camyrn, "I mean really? Who cares? We're not in the playoffs anymore so the stupid reporters are busy following the teams that still are and even if they see us why is it a big deal? Let them talk! We're here on vacation and wanted to go for a fun skate. I see no problem with that."

Perreault frowned slightly, "Will they even let us in though?"

"I don't know," said Camyrn, biting her lower lip slightly, "But we can still try? I mean what else are we gonna do besides go drinking tonight?"

"She has a point there," muttered MoJo, "What do you think, Carly?"

John winced a little at his girly nickname, "Um…I mean…it couldn't hurt to look around right? Worst case scenario we just go hit the bars downtown."

Camyrn beamed and practically skipped over to Carlson, giving him a hug, "See, I knew you'd understand!"

Carlson smirked as he held the still-bikini-clad Camyrn against him. He silently wished she appreciated the contact as much as he did. Damn he'd give anything to even be near this girl much less touch her!

Perreault and MoJo refrained from commenting about the sight but gave each other annoyed looks. Carlson caught the exchange and shot them silent warning glares before Camyrn let go of him.

"Alright, enough waiting around! Let's go check out the Bolts' digs, eh?"

MoJo groaned, "Ugh…fine, but when this all gets shot to hell no one blame me!"

…

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	4. In Enemy Territory

**I apologize ahead of time for the language in this chapter…hockey players don't have the cleanest mouths haha! : ) The drama should pick up a bit in this chapter too : )**

"Damn," muttered MoJo as they walked into the St. Pete Time's Forum, the Tampa Bay Lightning's home rink, "This place brings back some oh-so-wonderful memories."

Camyrn scowled at MoJo, "It's over, alright? Let's just go have some fun. Come on I'm sure there are some skates in the locker room."

"Whoa, what?" said Perreault, holding his hands up and taking a tentative step back, "No one said anything about breaking into the Bolts' locker room. Oh hell no, not goin there!"

"Would you lighten up a little?" asked Carlson, flashing Perreault a dangerous look, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, "What happened to the old Mattie P who used to stir up all kinds of shit over in Hershey?"

"Uh, that Mattie P grew up and became a NHL player," said Perreault slowly as if he were talking to a small child, "You did to Carly…now come on guys, for real, we can't do this. What the hell are we gonna do if we get caught?"

MoJo had a very thoughtful look on his face as he eyed the Bolts' locker room, "I dunno, Mattie…maybe they're on to something. I mean…they did beat us right? I feel like they owe us a few minutes of fun."

Camyrn smiled appreciatively at that, "Thank you, MoJo…glad you're finally seeing things my way."

Carlson smirked as he put an arm around Camyrn and MoJo walked over to join them. The trio looked over at Perreault and waited for him to give in to the peer pressure.

"You're all insane…a bunch of fucking morons," grumbled Perreault as he stomped over to them, "We're all gonna die…and it's all the female's fault."

The trio just laughed at Perreault as they made their way over to the Bolts' locker room.

"Glad security here sucks," sneered MoJo as the door swung open, "Back door to the rink was unlocked and the locker room is wide-fucking-open."

The group of friends slipped inside the locker room and began glancing around. Carlson made his way over to a large rack of sticks and began running his hands over them, trying to find one he liked. Perreault discovered a bucket of pucks off in a corner while MoJo sifted through a bunch of old skates in the back room.

Camyrn, meanwhile, was in awe of the names listed out around the locker room. Despite the fact that these guys had just beat them in four games straight, she was still in absolute awe of how talented each of these players were. She paused when she got to Stamkos and St. Louis' names and couldn't help but reach out and touch their nameplates. Those two were one of the most dynamic duos in the NHL. It was almost unreal that she was in the same room at these guys frequented.

"You do realize we just saw these guys last week, right?" asked MoJo, giving Camyrn an inquisitive look.

"So?" she retorted, giving him an annoyed glance.

"So what's with the fascination? It's not like they're Wayne Gretzky or anything."

Camyrn rolled her eyes, "I just appreciate other players' abilities and skill sets and these guys have a lot of them…clearly. There's a lot we could learn from them."

MoJo grimaced at that thought and walked away, leaving Camyrn to her thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was reminisce about the Tampa Bay Lighting and their star players.

"Hey guys I think I found a few sticks you'll like," said Carlson as he came back with about eight different hockey sticks in his hands.

"Yeah there are plenty of skates over here," said MoJo as he nodded over toward the back room, "Pretty sure they have all our sizes."

"And I got some pucks…I think there's a basket of gloves back here too!" called Perreault from the far corner of the locker room where he'd been rummaging around.

"Awesome!" said Camyrn, beaming excitedly, "Let's suit up then and hit the ice!"

…

"What the hell!" shouted MoJo as Perreault sent a powerful wrister just past his friend's head.

Perreault laughed openly at MoJo's panic-stricken face, "Watch that little pinhead of yours MoJo! Wouldn't want a puck to damage that pretty little boy face of yours!"

MoJo sent a slapshot in Perreault's direction and the smaller forward leapt out of the way just in time.

"Would you two stop trying to kill each other?" laughed Carlson as he passed a puck up ice toward Camyrn, "Come on let's scrimmage…me and Camyrn against you two clowns."

"Aw you sure that's fair though, John?" asked Camyrn, feigning concern for Perreault and MoJo, "I mean…the odds are kinda stacked against them now what with us, the top two goal scorers for the Caps on the same team."

"Oh fuck that shit!" exclaimed MoJo, getting pumped up, "Mattie P and I'll take you assholes on any day!"

"Hell yeah!" agreed Perreault as he lined up next to MoJo, "Bring it on bitches!"

"Fuck you," said Camyrn, giving Perreault a playful glare.

Carlson put the puck at center ice and watched as Camyrn and Perreault lined up for the "face-off." Carlson gave the word and the sticks smacked into the ice. Perreault won the draw and sent the puck back to MoJo. The two began moving up the ice, but Carlson had their shooting lane clearly blocked. He blocked a shot and sent the puck sprawling over to Camyrn. She laughed as MoJo slid across the ice in a desperate attempt to get the puck away from her and began skating hard to the other side of the rink. She had a clear breakaway and was just lifting her stick to take a shot when she saw a figure slip out onto the ice. She froze instantly when she realized who it was.

"Aw shit," mumbled MoJo.

"I told you, I swear to God I told you something like this would happen," muttered Perreault nervously.

Carlson just gritted his teeth and gave the man a hard, warning glare as he skated hesitantly over to their little group.

"Um…we can explain…" began Camyrn, her voice trembling with nerves.

Steven Stamkos smiled a little and waved off her apology, "No it's cool…how'd you guys get in here anyway? And…what _are_ you doing in Tampa?"

"As if that's any of your…"

"John!" hissed Camyrn, giving Carlson a chastising look, "Excuse him…but the doors were unlocked. And…well…we are all taking a vacation after…you know," she said, glancing down at the ice.

Stamkos dropped his gaze too in respect, "Ah, yes…I'm sorry about that. I mean, I'm glad my team won, but…yeah I can imagine it's not easy to be on the other side of the coin. Interesting you chose to come here though to hang out."

"It was _her_ idea," muttered MoJo.

"Yeah I told them it was stupid but no one listens to me…EVER," added Perreault.

Carlson just stood still as stone, glaring at Stamkos like he was still their arch enemy.

"Oh hey thanks guys," hissed Camyrn, giving her friends all annoyed looks.

Stamkos smirked at the four friends, "No, really guys it's cool. I don't care…hell I'm not even supposed to be here myself. Just…having one of those days you know? The ice always helps…makes the rest of the world kinda melt away."

Camyrn smiled at that, "I know exactly what you mean."

Stamkos beamed at her and Camyrn felt her cheeks flush under the blond, blue-eyed player's warm, approving gaze. Carlson sneered openly at the sight, instantly feeling a rush of jealousy sweep over him.

"Mind if I play with you guys?" asked Stamkos after a moment, "I could play goalie and you guys could scrimmage using half the rink."

Camyrn smiled and nodded, "Yeah I think that'd be a great idea! Right guys?" she asked, turning and giving her friends all hard warning glares.

MoJo shrugged, "Sure…why not. I mean we did break into your digs…but you beat the shit out of us last week in the playoffs. Why the hell not? I guess we're all even now."

Perreault just sighed, "As long as he's not turning us into the cops I don't care."

Carlson muttered something under his breath and Camyrn just decided to take that as a yes.

"There it's settled then," she said, giving Stamkos another radiant smile.

"Cool," replied Stamkos with a wide grin, "I'll go grab some goalie pads and meet you all at the end of the rink."

"Please look at JCarl," muttered Perreault to MoJo, "He looks like he's going to rip Stammer's head off the second he gets back out here."

"Well yeah," said MoJo with a sneer, "Camyrn clearly has the hotts for the kid and he likes her too…and we all know Carly's like in freakin love with Camyrn. Shit this could get bad real fast."

Perreault moaned a little at that thought, "Dear God…I freaking told you all this was a bad idea. I just…didn't think it was THIS bad of an idea."

Perreault and MoJo glanced over to where Camyrn was stretching out on the ice, a small smile playing on her lips. Meanwhile, Carlson was at the other end of the rink sending hard slapshots into the empty net. They both winced at the two opposing sights.

"Damn," muttered MoJo, "This isn't gonna end well…for any of us…"

…

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**More drama to come I promise…I know the first couple chapters have been kinda slow but I had to get the backdrop all set up for the real "meat" of the story : ) **

**Next chapter will focus on Stamkos and his POV as well as a little back story into what has gone on in his personal life the past few months...drama, drama, drama! **


	5. Steven Stamkos

_**Stamkos' POV**_

Steven Stamkos frowned as he pulled into the parking lot of the St. Pete Times Forum arena, the home rink of his Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. His life was a complete train wreck…it had been for some time now…and no one really knew about it.

Over the past few months he'd become an expert at hiding his problems and masking the pain, especially in the locker room. He had thrown himself completely and totally into his own private world of hockey and it showed. But now that they had blanked the Capitals in merely four games, he had over a week of nothing to do until the next round started. All that free time was greatly appreciated by the entire team…except for him. While most of the players had rejoiced at the realization that they'd have so much time off to rest and relax, Steven Stamkos grimaced internally. Free time meant he had time to think…and that wasn't something he wanted to do. Hell it was the last thing he wanted to do.

Stamkos gritted his teeth as the painful memories washed over him and shook his head in frustration. He had to get out on the ice…he had to do something, anything to just stop thinking for a while. The ice was freedom for him…freedom from his troubled thoughts, his past, his present, and the grim outlook on his future. All he had to do was focus on his game…the one thing in this life he had been successful at.

Stamkos opened the car door and stepped out into the warm air of Tampa Bay, Florida. He took a deep breath as he walked in through the front door. The instant chill of the air around him already made him feel better. He was moments away from the freedom of the ice. A sudden, loud crack of a puck slamming into the glass startled him from his reverie. He jumped slightly and looked out onto the rink. His eyes widened in shock when he saw four figures skating around the ice, laughing and goofing off.

He watched them carefully as he circled around the rink, heading toward the locker room and the main entrance out onto the ice, trying to figure out who they were. They were wearing what looked like old Lightning gear, probably from the locker room, and seemed completely oblivious to anyone else but each other. Then, Stamkos saw a ponytail sticking out from under one of the helmets. He froze and stared at the figure. She turned her head to the side, trying to get one of the guy's attentions and instantly Stamkos knew who they were: they were Caps players…and the pony-tailed figure was Camyrn Payne, the Caps new superstar. What the hell were they doing back in Tampa?

Stamkos watched for a moment more before he slipped into the locker room to put on his skates. He smirked a little as he predicted the reaction he would get from the four Caps players skating on his turf. Nothing wrong with having a little fun with them...and besides, it would take his mind off of…everything else.

When Stamkos emerged from the locker room he looked out onto the ice and saw that the four friends had formed a sort of scrimmage. They were around the face-off dot, clambering for the puck. He smirked as he slid out onto the ice, waiting for one of them to notice his presence. Just at that moment, Camyrn was charging down the ice on a breakaway and skidded to a stop when she saw him. Her mouth gaped open in shock as she realized who he was. One of the other players cursed while another began exclaiming how he knew this would happen. Stamkos fought the smirk that threatened to play along his face as he watched their reactions.

"Um…we can explain…" stammered Camyrn nervously.

Stamkos smiled a little as he studied the petite, yet quick-footed young woman. She was unique and talented that was for sure…and…as much as it pained him to admit it…she was very beautiful. She had those hazel eyes a guy could find himself getting lost in…and that thought alone unnerved him. Instantly dark thoughts flashed through his mind and he felt the pain begin to suffocate him but he forced it back. Now wasn't the time for him to be thinking about _that_…that awful secret he kept from everyone…the secret that had tortured him these last few months. He cleared his throat and waved off her apology.

"No it's cool…how'd you guys get in here anyway? And…what _are_ you doing in Tampa?" he asked, keeping his voice light and care-free.

"As if that's any of your…"

"John!" hissed Camyrn, giving Carlson a chastising look, "Excuse him…but the doors were unlocked. And…well…we are all taking a vacation after…you know," she said, glancing down at the ice.

Stamkos smirked a little when he noticed the annoyed and somewhat-pained look on Carlson's face. The young, mouthy defenseman clearly took Camyrn's words to heart. Stamkos dropped his gaze a little at Camyrn's indirect mention of what had happened in the second round of the playoffs.

"Ah, yes…I'm sorry about that. I mean, I'm glad my team won, but…yeah I can imagine it's not easy to be on the other side of the coin," he said quickly, almost too quickly he thought. Damn this girl unnerved him. She had during the playoffs too. She just had that presence. When she entered a room, people noticed…especially men. She was confident, slightly cocky, and those eyes…damn those eyes. "Interesting you chose to come here though to hang out," he added quickly.

"It was _her_ idea," muttered Marcus Johansson, glaring accusingly at Camyrn's back.

"Yeah I told them it was stupid but no one listens to me…EVER," added Perreault, sliding over next to MoJo and crossing his arms over his chest.

Carlson just stood still as stone, glaring at Stamkos like he was still their arch enemy. Stamkos could feel the angry glare without even having to look up at him. This kid clearly didn't like him at all, for whatever reason.

"Oh hey thanks guys," hissed Camyrn, giving her friends all annoyed looks.

Stamkos smirked at the four friends, "No, really guys it's cool. I don't care…hell I'm not even supposed to be here myself. Just…having one of those days you know? The ice always helps…makes the rest of the world kinda melt away," he said, looking at Camyrn the entire time he spoke. He surprised himself by admitting why he was there…after all it was _his _rink, he didn't need to explain to these Caps intruders why he was there, but something about Camyrn made him want to just go ahead and spill everything. He consciously gritted his teeth, willing himself to shut up while he was already ahead. He'd said too much already.

Camyrn smiled at that, "I know exactly what you mean."

Stamkos couldn't help but smile back. Damn that girl's eyes and smile were giving him chills…chills he didn't really have any business feeling…not now anyway. He noted that Camyrn's cheeks flushed under his steady gaze and his smile grew a little wider despite himself.

Carlson sneered openly at the sight, instantly feeling a rush of jealousy sweep over him. He didn't like what was going on between these two star players. It was pissing him off…Stamkos with that stupid dreamy look in his eyes and Camyrn and her stupid blushing, smiling self. He only liked it when she looked at him that way…not this punk from another NHL team.

"Mind if I play with you guys?" asked Stamkos after a moment, avoiding Carlson's angry glare, "I could play goalie and you guys could scrimmage using half the rink."

Camyrn smiled and nodded, "Yeah I think that'd be a great idea! Right guys?" she asked, turning and giving her friends all hard warning glares.

MoJo shrugged, "Sure…why not. I mean we did break into your digs…but you beat the shit out of us last week in the playoffs. Why the hell not? I guess we're all even now."

Perreault just sighed, "As long as he's not turning us into the cops I don't care."

Carlson muttered something under his breath and Camyrn just decided to take that as a yes.

"There it's settled then," she said, giving Stamkos another radiant smile.

"Cool," replied Stamkos with a wide grin, "I'll go grab some goalie pads and meet you all at the end of the rink."

Stamkos practically skipped off of the ice and back into the locker room. He couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face, and he wasn't sure he really wanted to. I mean, what was so wrong about having some fun with a few other hockey players? And what was so wrong with a little innocent flirting? He was single now after all…but why, at the same time, did it feel so very, very wrong? Why did he feel a twinge of guilt at the very thought of flirting with Camyrn? He frowned at himself as he strapped on the goalie pads and prepared to go back out onto the ice. Whatever…he was just being stupid. He was single, Camyrn was single and as far as he was concerned they could do whatever the hell they wanted, his past be damned.

Stamkos finished strapping on the pads and headed back out onto the ice, leaving his guilty conscience behind him in the locker room…

…

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	6. Jealousy

**This chapter is gonna be more from John Carlson's perspective with a couple insights from Camyrn and Stamkos : ) Enjoy!**

Camyrn couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as Steven Stamkos re-entered the rink in goalie pads. One of the NHL's top snipers was lumbering around on the ice like a child first learning how to skate. The entire scene was quite comical. Even Perreault and MoJo smirked at the sight as Stamkos made his way down the ice.

"Hey don't laugh!" smirked Stamkos as he lifted the goalie mask on top of his head, his blonde hair sticking out in all directions, "This shit is hard to skate it! Damn!"

MoJo laughed loudly, "You look like freakin' fat kid trying to play hockey!" he exclaimed in-between bouts of laughter.

Perreault couldn't help but laugh with MoJo and Camyrn covered her mouth, desperately trying to hide her smirk of amusement. John Carlson grimaced at all of them, wishing he was anywhere but here. The stupid little side-glances between Camyrn and Stamkos were pissing him off already.

Stamkos narrowed his eyes playfully at Camyrn and slapped her leg with his goalie stick as he made his way down to the empty net. Camyrn glared playfully back at Stamkos and stuck her tongue out at him. The sight made Carlson want to gag. This was the worst idea _ever_. Now he was gonna have to stay here and watch freaking Steven Stamkos flirt with his…best friend…for the next couple hours while everyone else laughed and had a grand-old-time. Awesome.

"Dude, would you lighten up?" asked Perreault as he nudged Carlson with his shoulder, "Come on, sure its Stammer, but he's not that bad you know. He's not making fun of us for the playoffs, hell he's not even talking about the playoffs, and he's just trying to have a good time like we are. What's the big deal? Let's just chill, alright man? We're on vacation after all."

"Yeah, it's a great fucking vacation," muttered Carlson angrily, scraping his stick hard against the ice, "I fucking love watching _that_ shit."

Perreault glanced over to where Carlson had nodded and saw Camyrn talking with Stamkos, leaning up against the net. He raised an eyebrow and whistled quietly under his breath, "Hey look at Camyrn getting' it on!" he said with a laugh.

"Yo if she freaking hooks up with Stammer we're so gonna troll for women," said MoJo as he skated over to them, "I swear to God she cannot be the only one on this damn trip who gets laid!"

Carlson shoved MoJo roughly, "Shut the fuck up! She's _not _sleeping with _him_ that's for damn sure."

"Oh okay," sneered Perreault, rolling his eyes, "And what are you, her father? You gonna tell her she's not allowed to?"

Carlson glared daggers at his two friends, his eyes flashing with an almost dangerous light in them, "No…she just…she can't alright? She's not like that anyway."

"Not like what? A single girl talking to an equally-single, attractive hockey player?" asked MoJo, "Come on man, get real. Camyrn may be a goody-goody but its Steven Stamkos. She's not gonna say no if the opportunity comes a-knockin' if you know what I mean."

Carlson whirled on MoJo, "Just shut up! I don't want to talk about it, alright? Just shut up!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked MoJo, "You're acting like some jealous little…oooo wait, that's right!" exclaimed MoJo as he and Perreault exchanged knowing looks, "He's got the hots for Camyrn. Ah so our Captain America is getting' a little jealous that someone is encroaching on his turf, eh?"

"His turf?" sneered Perreault, "He hasn't done a damn thing besides hang out with her. She's not his property."

"Hey!" shouted Camyrn from the other side of the rink where she and Stamkos were waiting, "You three gonna gossip all day or are we gonna play some hockey?"

Carlson shot a final glare at his two friends before he skated over to Stamkos and Camyrn. MoJo shook his head and cursed under his breath, "He's an idiot."

"Pretty much," agreed Perreault with a sigh, "I can almost taste the drama in the air. Brace yourself…we both know how JCarl gets when he's in these moods of his. He's gonna show off, be stupid, embarrass himself and then get pissed and leave…in that order. Mark my words."

"Let's go!" barked Carlson over his shoulder.

"Damn, he's such a downer," muttered MoJo as he and Perreault skated down the ice to begin the scrimmage that was sure to end in disaster…

…

Carlson could feel his blood boiling as Camyrn smirked at something Stamkos said. All he wanted to do was rip that stupid blonde hockey player's head off and throw it down the ice. God it pissed him off seeing him flirt so shamelessly with her.

Part of him was pissed off at Stamkos…the other part pissed off at himself. Maybe if he'd actually done what Perreault and MoJo wanted him to do, tell her how he feels, then this wouldn't be happening. Instead she'd be hanging on his arm and he'd be parading her in front of Stamkos…not the other way around. But something had always stopped him from admitting to her how he really felt.

He gritted his teeth as he remembered the last time he had come so close to telling her. It was just the two of them in downtown D.C. goofing off, laughing, causing problems, and just being their loud, slightly intoxicated selves. It was one of those nights where you just felt _alive_. Everything was so perfect…the sky was clear, the air crisp, the mood light. As far as they were concerned, they _owned_ the night. Carlson remembered watching Camyrn as she half-skipped, half-danced down the gravel pathway along the Mall of D.C., marveling at her beauty under the street lights. Her hair was in long, loose brown waves and her eyes danced with a light that made his heart flutter. He knew in that moment she was and would always be more than a friend to him…she was perfect…she was everything he had ever wanted and needed in his life. He remembered wrapping her in his arms and she laughed as he twirled her around the street. They danced right there in the middle of the D.C. mall at midnight under a crystal clear night sky.

Carlson remembered opening his mouth as he gazed down into her beautiful hazel eyes, fully prepared to tell her…and then froze. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if she just thought of them as best friends? What if this would ruin whatever it was they already had? It was in that moment Carlson chose to clam up and keep things the way they were. After all…she didn't have any prospects and he certainly wouldn't hunt for other women while she was around…why rush into something? They had a good thing going so why ruin it? Now Carlson regretted that decision…with every fiber of his being.

"Alright let's do this!" said Camyrn, jolting Carlson from his sad reverie, "Come on John! Let's show these wannabees how REAL hockey players do it!"

"Bring it on girly," smirked Perreault as he playfully shoved her.

MoJo and Camyrn lined up for the faceoff. Stamkos shouted "Go!" at the top of his lungs and their sticks slapped the ice hard. MoJo swept the puck away from Camyrn and sent it back over to Perreault, but Carlson was already barreling toward him. His anger and frustration were getting the better of him and he knew it, but there was no stopping him. He rammed Perreault hard and stole the puck, racing down the ice toward Stamkos. Perreault cursed Carlson loudly as he pulled himself up off the ice. MoJo skated hard, trying to intercept the fast-moving John Carlson, but it was too late. Lifting his stick high into the air, Carlson sent a slapshot toward the net to rival even Alex Ovechkin's best shot. It flew into the net right past Stamkos' catching glove and Carlson smirked arrogantly.

"Stick to your day job," he growled low in his throat as he passed by Stamkos.

Stamkos glanced up sharply at Carlson, a quick surge of anger rushing through his system. This kid had a serious attitude problem and it was clearly directed at him. He glared back at Carlson and noted that the angry gleam in the kid's eyes only intensified at the silent challenge. What the hell was his problem?

Carlson felt the anger rise up in him again as Stamkos stared him down. Fine, be that way, he thought to himself as he lined up for the next face-off. He'd show Stamkos who was boss…and who had dibs on Camyrn.

"Take it easy, John," said Camyrn as she skated over to the face-off dot, "You nearly killed Mattie over there."

"Yeah about that," grumbled Perreault as he glared at Carlson, "That fucking hurt you asshole."

"Then move faster," snapped Carlson irritably.

MoJo exchanged a look with Perreault, "I think you mighta been right about this."

Perreault just sneered as he took the face-off against Camyrn. Camyrn won this time and slid the puck over to Carlson. He snatched it up and began heading down the ice, but MoJo slid out on front of him, eager to swipe the puck away from the rushing defenseman. Perreault guarded Camyrn in an effort to prevent Carlson from passing the puck to her, but Carlson had no such intentions. He did a cutesy little deke and slid deftly passed MoJo's out-reached stick and began racing back toward Stamkos. He sent a sharp wrister toward the net and smiled in satisfaction as it slid between Stamkos' legs.

"You about done yet?" he muttered to Stamkos.

"That's fucking it," growled Stamkos angrily, "What the hell is your problem? What the hell did I do to you?"

"You mean besides destroy my team in the playoffs?" sneered Carlson, the arrogant smirk back on his face.

"Oh, come off it," said Stamkos, "I haven't said a damn word about that and you know it. I just wanted to have some fun and so did your friends but for some reason you can't pull the stick out of your butt long enough to enjoy just being on the ice. Now what the hell is your issue, man?"

"Aw shit," muttered Perreault, wincing, "Here it comes."

"Stay the hell away from me…and my _friends_," he snarled in Stamkos' face, "_All _of them."

Stamkos stared hard at Carlson as he deciphered the meaning behind the words. The kid was protective of Camyrn it seemed…but why? He hadn't heard they were dating. Had he missed something? Either way this little defenseman needed to be put back in his place.

"Need I remind you whose rink you broke into?" challenged Stamkos as he took off his helmet, "You're not in D.C. anymore, Carlson so start showing a little respect."

"What the hell?" asked Camyrn as she caught the last part of their argument, "John, what's going on?"

"Nothing," muttered Carlson, his eyes flickering momentarily with pain when he saw Stamkos turn a warm gaze in Camyrn's direction, "I was just…leaving."

"Leaving?" asked Camyrn, shocked, "What? Why? John, what the hell?"

But John Carlson had already made up his mind. He was done sitting around watching Stamkos flirt with Camyrn and befriend _his_ friends. Who the hell did this guy think he was? He wasn't just encroaching on his territory he was fucking stampeding all over it.

"John, dude don't be like this alright?" pleaded MoJo as he skated with John toward the locker room, "Come on, man…we're just trying to have some fun."

"Good, have fun without me," muttered Carlson, "I'm done with this shit. Have fun with your new friend."

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," called MoJo as Carlson disappeared into the locker room, "John! John, dude, really?"

Carlson threw open the locker room door and ripped off his pads and skates as quickly as he could. He cursed himself, Camyrn, Perreault, MoJo and most of all, Stamkos as he stormed out of the building. He'd catch a cab and head into town, down a few drinks and forget all this for awhile. He felt the sting of tears behind his eyes and blinked rapidly, dead-set on not getting emotional about this in public. Damn what the hell was wrong with him? Getting emotional over a girl? What the hell? He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as he hailed a taxi and drove away from the St. Pete Times Forum arena…

…

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	7. Friction

**I apologize for the hiatus…crazy times during Christmas with family and whatnot. Traveling this weekend too so I may not update until early next week but we shall see! Enjoy!**

Camyrn was incredibly embarrassed by John Carlson's outburst and temper tantrum as he stormed off toward the locker room. She watched him walk off, gaping in disbelief at how rude and ridiculous he was being. She thought for a moment that she should follow him but chose not to. If that's how he was going to behave then fine…he could go off on his own and pout while they had some fun.

"I'm…really sorry about that," she said awkwardly, looking up at Steven Stamkos.

Stamkos smiled a little crooked smile and shrugged, "It's not your fault. He, um, he doesn't seem too fond of me being friendly with you guys."

Camyrn frowned at that and sighed, "Yeah I don't really know why. I mean…sure you guys beat us in the playoffs but that wasn't personal that was just business. And all we're doing is having fun…maybe he's just in one of his moods. He gets like that sometimes."

Stamkos frowned a little at that as MoJo and Perreault skated over to them. MoJo was hanging his head a little and looking embarrassed while Perreault was just shaking his head in frustration.

"Sorry about him," muttered MoJo as he approached Stamkos, "He's just…the jealous type we'll put it that way."

"He's just an idiot," sneered Perreault, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Camyrn narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she tried to work out what in the world Carlson's issue could be. After a moment she just shook her head in frustration, "Whatever, let him just mope and get it all out of his system. I'll call him later and see if he wants to do dinner with us."

"Good idea," said MoJo with a relieved sigh, happy that Camyrn was dealing with this issue and not him.

"We better get on outta here," said Perreault, "You guys have practice this afternoon right?"

Stamkos nodded, "Yeah we gotta late afternooner here soon," he said turning to glance at Camyrn, "But thanks for coming by. It was fun," he added, flashing a charming smile, his blue eyes twinkling.

Camyrn felt herself blush while Perreault and MoJo exchanged somewhat annoyed looks. They both were thinking the same thing: this flirting shit was what caused Carlson to go off in the first place. How could Camyrn be so blind? How could she not know Carlson was pretty much in love with her?

Stamkos smirked a little as he noticed Camyrn's blush and put an arm around her, leading her and Perreault and MoJo off the rink and back into the locker room to change.

"This is gonna only get worse you know," muttered Perreault to MoJo.

MoJo nodded as he watched Stamkos talk to Camyrn while they took off their helmets and pads, "Yeah…I know."

Stamkos couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he found himself flirting shamelessly with Camyrn. It felt so good to do that again…be himself with a girl. For a second he felt a stab of pain in his gut as his past crept up into his mind, but he pushed it away. Looking at Camyrn's smiling face helped him push it back…she was indirectly helping him push the pain away and it felt so good. He could tell she was enjoying the attention as well. She kept blushing and smiling and her eyes were sparkling with happiness every time he spoke to her. He bit his lower lip, hesitating for a moment before he spoke.

"You know…I've got another week before the next round of playoffs start," he said under his breath so MoJo and Perreault wouldn't hear, "I don't know how long you guys are planning to stick around, but if you get bored…you could always give me a call."

Camyrn looked up quickly at that and couldn't suppress the happy grin that spread across her face, "Um yeah, yeah sure that's a good idea. We'll be here for at least a couple more weeks. Um, you want my number?"

Stamkos smirked at her now-beet-red face and nodded, "Yeah and I'll give you mine," he replied as he pulled out his phone from his bag.

Perreault hit MoJo rapidly, trying to get his attention.

"What the hell…?" asked MoJo as he looked up from unlacing his skates. He froze when he looked over and saw what Perreault was freaking out about: Camyrn and Stamkos exchanging phone numbers, "Aw shit," he muttered.

"My sentiments exactly," grumbled Perreault as he thought about how much worse this situation really could get…

…

Carlson was well-beyond pissed by the time Camyrn, Perreault and MoJo sauntered back into their hotel suite. He had been pacing incessantly after leaving the practice, and grabbing a few beers, just thinking about Camyrn and picturing Stamkos' stupid grin as he looked at her. The more and more he thought about Stamkos looking at her like that the more and more he wanted to just kill the guy.

"Hey," said Camyrn carefully as she walked over to where Carlson was glaring daggers out the window.

Carlson didn't reply or even turn around. His jaw tensed up as he gritted his teeth and Camyrn could visibly see his shoulder and back muscles clench up defensively.

Perreault and MoJo ducked out of the room and hid in one of the bedrooms, more than happy to stay out of the way of whatever the hell was about to happen in the small living room.

"Are you okay?" asked Camyrn quietly as she stood behind Carlson, putting a hand lightly on his back.

Carlson felt his body involuntarily shudder at her touch and Camyrn pulled away, thinking it was a sign that he didn't want to be touched. He glanced over at her, the anger in his eyes mingled with a sadness that Camyrn didn't understand.

"I'll be fine," he muttered quietly.

Camyrn frowned at that, "You don't seem fine, John. Come on, you tell me everything. What's going on?"

Carlson had to suppress a sneer at that. Of course he told her everything…he…he cared about her a lot. He waited for a long moment and sighed.

"Do you…do you really like that Stamkos guy?" he asked, practically spitting out Stamkos' name as if it were venom in his mouth.

Camyrn took a startled step back at that question. Carlson turned and looked over his shoulder, trying to gauge her reaction. He could tell he surprised her but as she crossed her arms he knew she was going to get defensive.

"Why does it matter?" she asked, her voice having a slight edge to it as she narrowed her eyes at John.

Carlson sighed, knowing this was probably going to get ugly, "I just want to know. You two…were flirting an awful lot. Kinda made it hard to concentrate on my game."

Camyrn gave Carlson a disbelieving look, "You've got to be kidding me…John it was a _scrimmage_! Hell it was just for fun! There was nothing to concentrate on! Now what's your issue with Stamkos? Is it because he beat us in the playoffs?"

Carlson felt his anger rising as Camyrn's tone got more and more defensive. She was basically telling him everything he needed to know just by her reaction to his question.

"That's definitely part of it," he said with a sneer, "I also don't like how he was looking at you like he could freakin' rip your pads off of you and go to town right then and there…pissed me off."

Camyrn looked baffled by Carlson's statement, "You do realize that I am a girl and he is a guy right? That's kinda normal when a guy and a girl find each other attractive…they flirt and they look at each other…come on John, get real. And who says I wouldn't mind it if he 'ripped my pads off and went to town'?"

Carlson whirled around at that and glared angrily at Camyrn, his eyes flashing with fury and disbelief, "You did _not _just say that!"

"Um, yeah I did, John," said Camyrn, rolling her eyes, "So what? So maybe I want to get involved with a guy? You always have some woman around so why can't I have a man in my life?"

Carlson sneered, "Please I haven't done that shit in a long time and you know it."

"Two months doesn't really qualify as a 'long time' John," muttered Camyrn, looking away from him.

"Whatever," growled John as he pushed away from the wall and stalked across the room.

"Whatever? Are you fucking kidding me?" asked Camyrn, raising her voice, "What the hell does that even mean?"

"It means, whatever," snapped Carlson, "I don't want to talk about it anymore, alright? I get it…you like fucking Stamkos."

"John!" shouted Camyrn just as Carlson reached for the door handle to leave, "Don't…just don't leave like this, please?" she asked, lowering her voice.

John closed his eyes for a moment and leaned his head on the door. God he hated it when she got that sad note in her voice…especially when it was because of something he said or did. It got to him every damn time.

"I'm not mad…I just…need to be alone for awhile, alright?" he said quietly, not turning around.

Camyrn frowned and glanced down at the floor, "Why does it bother you so much? John…Steven asked for my number. I think…he wants to go out sometime, but I need to know that our friendship won't change just because I'm seeing someone."

Carlson winced visibly as he heard Camyrn admit to liking Stamkos…and that he now had her number. He felt his heart clench with pain…he was losing her and he could feel it…and it was killing him.

"I, um, I need go…get some air," he said hurriedly as he pulled open the door and practically ran out of the room.

Camyrn cursed and slammed her fist on the counter in frustration as John left. What the hell was wrong with him? She hated it when they got into fights. They fought before but it was never really a big deal…but he seemed genuinely upset this time.

Just then, Camyrn's phone went off. She glanced down and saw the name on the caller ID…

Steven Stamkos.

…

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	8. Confession

"Where are you going?" asked Perreault as he and MoJo emerged slowly from the bedroom where they'd been hiding while Carlson and Camyrn fought in the main room of the suite.

"Steven wants to see me," said Camyrn, not making eye-contact with either of them, "The Bolts practice was shorter than expected today and he had some free-time and wanted to know if I wanted to grab a late lunch with him."

MoJo groaned, "Aw, Cam…girl you can't just…you can't do this."

Camyrn looked up sharply at that, her hazel eyes flashing defensively, "And why not?"

Perreault sighed as he answered for MoJo, "What about John?"

Camyrn sneered, "What about him?"

"He seemed pretty upset," said Perreault carefully, "I mean…shouldn't you go talk to him or something?"

"We talked," snapped Camyrn "Didn't do much good as I'm sure you both could hear."

"Look, Cam, he's upset," said MoJo, trying to speak calmly and evenly, "Clearly he's upset about you being with Stamkos."

"And since when did John Carlson dictate who I can and cannot be with?" countered Camyrn angrily as she fumbled through her purse, looking for her lip gloss.

MoJo looked like he was ready to scream so Perreault cut in for him, "Look…Cam…we think that…that…"

MoJo punched Perreault's shoulder hard and glared at him angrily as he realized what Perreault was about to reveal, "Shut up you moron! We don't know that for sure."

Camyrn glanced between the two of them suspiciously, her eyes narrowed in distrust as she tried to figure out what was going on.

"What? You think what Mathieu?" snapped Camyrn.

Perreault glanced back over at MoJo and then shook his head, looking at the floor, "Nothing…I think nothing, forget about it."

Camyrn glanced between the two of them again before she slung her purse over her shoulder and turned to leave, "Fine…then I will see you guys later."

Perreault frowned as he and MoJo watched Camyrn make a bee-line for the door, slamming it shut behind her as she left. Perreault gave MoJo a forlorn look and MoJo rolled his eyes in reply.

"You know we can't just tell her John likes her! We don't know that for sure."

Now it was Perreault's turn to roll his eyes, "Oh please…how much more obvious can it be?"

"Yeah but…this is between the two of them," said MoJo with a weary sigh, "I don't like it anymore than you do but you know what? If John really does like her he would've done something by now. Hell if I liked a girl and she was talking to Stamkos I'd put an end to that immediately and ask her out…but that's just me I guess."

Perreault sighed, "Yeah…I guess so."

"Come on," said MoJo as he patted Perreault's back, "Let's go troll for women on the beach again…pick our spirits up, eh?"

Perreault smirked at that as he grabbed the hotel keys and headed out the door…

…

Camyrn was a nervous wreck as she drove the rental car over to the café in downtown Tampa Bay, Florida. Something about Steven Stamkos just made her stomach do flip flops and her heart race like it was going to pump right out of her chest. God he was so hot…and charming…and that smile…and those blue eyes…damn she was in deep and she knew it. Fuck Carlson though…what the hell was his problem?

Camyrn shook her head in frustration, forcing her lingering thoughts about Carlson to the back of her mind as she pulled up to the address Stamkos had texted her earlier. She saw a slick-looking silver sports car in the parking lot and smirked a little. That had to be him…flashy and expensive but not overly so.

As if on cue, the second Camyrn stepped out of the car she caught a glimpse of Steven Stamkos sitting in one of the metal chairs under an umbrella outside the café. Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at him for a moment. He was wearing worn, stylish jeans that hugged in all the right places, a black shirt and a dark grey sports jacket over it. His blue eyes scanning the parking lot seemed electric they were so blue. Camyrn forced herself to snap out of her trance and approach him. Standing in the middle of the parking lot gawking at the man she had come to meet up with was ever so slightly embarrassing.

Stamkos smiled instantly when he saw Camyrn walking up. God she was beautiful, he thought as he stood to greet her. She smiled nervously and he smiled a little when he saw her blush.

"I'm glad you came," he said quietly as he pulled her into a gentle hug.

Camyrn felt herself melt in his arms a little and found it hard to speak, "Of course," she said finally, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously, "How could I pass up an invitation from THE Steven Stamkos?"

He laughed a little at that as he pulled out her chair and draped her sweater over the back of it for her, "Please, I'm the one who should be honored. I mean…I'm about to eat an afternoon meal with the only woman to ever make it into the NHL. It doesn't get much better than that…well that and the fact that she's absolutely stunning is a perk too."

Camyrn raised an eyebrow in surprise at that and felt her face turn a deep shade of red. Stamkos laughed lightly at her reaction, "Sorry…too forward?" he asked, somewhat startled himself at his flirty ways. He wasn't normally like this…not since…no, now wasn't the time to think about _that_. Not now…not around Camyrn. She'd have to find out eventually, but now wasn't the time.

Camyrn bit her lower lip nervously and shook her head, "No…no not at all. You're rather attractive yourself, Mr. Stamkos."

Stamkos laughed again, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he gazed at Camyrn. Oh yeah…he could see himself getting into a bit of trouble with her. The chemistry was there…and it was perfect…almost too perfect…

…

"Where is she?" muttered Carlson irritably as he walked back into the hotel room later that evening.

Perreault and MoJo exchanged terrified glances, neither one of them willing to answer Carlson's blatant question. They had just returned from some beach trolling and had been in good spirits, what with a few beers in them and shameless flirting with the locals, and now they both felt like a semi-truck of doom had just crashed into them.

"What?" snapped Carlson when he saw the anxiety on his friends' faces. He paused for a long moment before realization dawned on him, "Oh you've GOT to be FUCKING kidding me!" he exploded.

Perreault whimpered and sunk lower in the couch. MoJo looked around him as if he were trying to find a place to hide from the enraged John Carlson.

"She went with him didn't she?" he asked, forcing himself to lower his voice, "She went out with that asshole…after…after I left. She still went didn't she?"

"Well, John you can't really expect her not to…" began MoJo carefully.

"Expect her not to what, Marcus?" roared Carlson as he slammed his fist down onto the counter, "Expect her not to go out with that douche bag when she could be with me?"

Perreault and MoJo froze instantly, their eyes wide with shock at Carlson's blatant confession. Carlson took a couple steps back, startled that he'd let it slip out like that.

"Shit," he muttered after a long, awkward silence, "I…I didn't mean to…to say that."

"You really do love her don't you?" asked Perreault quietly, scared about enraging Carlson again.

Carlson looked at the floor, squeezing his eyes shut as another stab of pain hit him in his chest. Damn…love really did hurt. God this sucked.

"Yeah…yeah I do," said Carlson quietly, each word falling reluctantly from his lips.

Perreault and MoJo exchanged sad looks before they looked back over at Carlson.

"Dude…go get her," said MoJo, "Seriously…don't let Stamkos take her away. I mean don't get me wrong, Stammer's a great guy and all but you and Cam are best friends. At the risk of sounding way too lovey dovey and all that shit…you two sorta were meant to be together."

Perreault nodded in agreement, "Yeah Johnny…go get your girl back. Tell her you love her and bring her back here."

Carlson frowned, "And if she says she doesn't like me what the hell do I do then?"

"Then you know you can try to move on," said Perreault with a forced smile, "I mean…it would suck, but at least you would know…better than sitting back and watching her run off with another guy and always wondering if things would have been different if you'd done something about it."

Carlson frowned for another moment, then nodded reluctantly, "Yeah…yeah you're right. Damn it…I wish you weren't though. I swear to God this is gonna be the scariest shit I've ever done in my life."

Perreault laughed at that, "Go get her man!"

"Do work you sexy beast!" said MoJo as he cat-called after Carlson who snatched up his keys and ran out the door.

Carlson laughed at his friends as he tore out of the hotel and made a bee-line for his rental car. He had no earthly idea where in Tampa Bay Camyrn and Stamkos were but he was dead-set on finding them. It had been a few hours since she had left so Carlson decided to check on the ice rink first. That would be a likely place Stamkos would've taken her after eating or whatever the hell it was they were doing…Carlson preferred not let his mind dwell too much on that area just yet. He gritted his teeth and drove quickly out of the parking lot, dead-set on finding Stamkos and Camyrn by the end of the night…

…

Please Review!

Major drama ahead…oy…lol! I'll update again early next week! (Probably Monday)


	9. Stammertime

**Okay I just had to update again lol I couldn't leave you guys hanging without revealing this little juicy tid-bit of drama! Sorry for the hang-off ending though…I'll make up for it next week I promise! Enjoy!**

Camyrn smirked in amusement as Stamkos pulled into the St. Pete Forum rink. After they had finished eating, Stamkos got a strange glimmer in his eyes and she knew instantly that the man was up to something. He had winked at her and asked her if she trusted him. Against her better judgment…she said yes. It was a rash thing to say considering she barely knew the man, but she felt like she had known him forever…and it just felt…right.

"You would," she said with a slight smile on her lips.

Stamkos smirked at her, "I know all the ways to get inside this place…and we'll have it all to ourselves," he added with a wink, causing Camyrn to shiver slightly out of nervous excitement.

They made their way into the building and Stamkos led her back to the locker room where they had been earlier that day. He tossed her a pair of skates and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Skating?" she said with amusement in her voice.

"Yeah," said Stamkos, smirking, "Just the two of us…no pads…no sticks…just open ice. You ever done it before? Skate by yourself without anything but you and the open sheet?"

Camyrn couldn't help but smile at the passion in his voice as he spoke about the empty ice rink, "Honestly…I can't remember ever skating without a crowd watching or a group of friends."

Stamkos whistled long and slow, "Wow…girl you need to get out more. Guess it's a good thing we met up, eh?"

Camyrn laughed, "I guess so."

They laced up their skates and took to the ice. The rink glowed under the low-lighting of the rink. Stamkos insisted on keeping the lights down low...he said it was better that way. It made it so you couldn't see the stands or anything else other than the ice.

"It's my favorite time to be out here," he said quietly, his eyes suddenly growing distant, "Everything gets quiet…and you can forget…everything…except skating. It's so freeing. I live for moments like this."

Camyrn stared at Stamkos in awe as he spoke. He was speaking from the heart and it made her melt a little inside. Something told her this man didn't open up to very many people and for some reason he had chosen to open up to her. She felt both honored and humbled by this fact…that this gorgeous, mysterious hockey player would talk to her so openly and in such a genuine manner.

"I see what you mean," she breathed after a moment, "It's so…calm…I love it!"

Stamkos smiled as he skated around the rink next to her, "I thought you would…you seem like the kind of person who would appreciate little things like this."

Camyrn smiled as they skated, "I do."

Stamkos gazed down at Camyrn for a long moment before he spoke again, "I…I know it might sound kinda weird…but…I feel like I've known you forever already and it's…only been a day."

Camyrn smiled broadly at that, her heart fluttering in her chest as she looked up into his icy-blue eyes, "No, that's not weird…not at all. I was actually thinking the same thing."

Stamkos' eyes twinkled happily at that as he reached out hesitantly and slipped his hand in hers. Camyrn smiled as she accepted his hand and felt warmth spread through her entire body as they skated around the rink, hand-in-hand.

After a few laps around the rink Stamkos got a strange, mischievous twinkle in his eye. Camyrn raised an eyebrow suspiciously when she saw the look on his face.

"Oh dear Lord…now what?" she asked, tensing up and preparing for whatever Stamkos was about to do.

Stamkos just laughed as he shifted quickly and hip-checked Camyrn into the boards. Camyrn let out a squeak of surprise, making Stamkos laugh even harder. She gaped at him in mock-disbelief and anger as she charged after him down the ice.

"Oh boy you're _so_ going to pay for that!" she said as Stamkos skated away as fast as he could, laughing hysterically the entire time.

Camyrn and Stamkos raced around the rink for awhile before Camyrn turned sharply and cut across the middle of the rink, catching Stamkos off-guard. He desperately tried to slide to a stop but Camyrn was already bearing down on him. He laughed as she barreled into him, knocking them both down onto the ice. Stamkos laughed as he tried to wrestle her off of him. He resorted to tickling her which sent Camyrn into a fit of giggles. They both laughed loudly as Stamkos flipped her over onto her back and straddled her on the ice.

"Okay, okay! You win!" shouted Camyrn, out of breath from laughing and being tickled by Stamkos.

Stamkos' blue eyes danced with happiness as he finally stopped tickling Camyrn. He looked down at her for a long moment, the light in his eyes changing into a darker, more seductive tone as he leaned down toward her.

Camyrn felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest as she recognized the look in Stamkos' eyes. He was about to kiss her…here…on the ice…with him on top of her. It was like a hockey fantasy come to life! She leaned up slightly, letting him know he had permission to kiss her, and that was all it took. Stamkos reached down and cupped the back of her head with one hand and kissed her. It was light and hesitant at first, but they both felt that spark the instant their lips touched and the kisses soon grew more passionate.

Completely lost in their own world out there on the lonely ice rink, neither star-player noticed John Carlson standing in horrified shock at the entrance to the rink…

…

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	10. Going Too Far

**Sorry for the long delay! I was in DC at a Caps game for New Years! :) Here's the next installment! Enjoy!**

John Carlson didn't even know what to do. He stood, frozen in shock, as he watched Steven Stamkos make-out with the girl he had fallen in love with right there on the Tampa Bay ice rink. His heart was being ripped apart but at the same time a raging fury ran through his veins. Half of him wanted to run out of the rink and get away from the heart-rending sight and the other half of him wanted to leap onto the ice and tear Steven Stamkos into shreds. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach and made a bee-line for the exit. He couldn't take seeing this anymore…he had to get out of there and fast.

…

After a few long, quite enjoyable moments, Stamkos pulled away from Camyrn. He looked down at her and smiled, his blue eyes flashing with happiness as he watched her blush.

"How about we get you up off this ice and somewhere a little warmer?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

Camyrn felt goose-bumps prickle up and down her arms as she realized the meaning behind his words. The thought was thrilling and yet overwhelming and terrifying all at once, but something about that dangerous sparkle in his eyes and his rock-hard body on top of hers made her suddenly feel like taking a risk.

"Yeah…yeah that sounds good," she said nervously, making Stamkos smile in response.

Stamkos felt butterflies in his stomach as he lifted Camyrn off the ice and led her back into the locker room. It hadn't been that long since…damn it. He frowned at himself and forced the thought out of his mind. He'd worry about his past another time, right now he was going to concentrate fully on the present which at the moment was the beautiful NHL hockey girl he was leading into his locker room.

The second they walked inside, Stamkos pushed Camyrn up against the wall, knocking over a rack of hockey sticks, and kissed her hard and with a desire that made Camyrn's head spin. She didn't even realize she was losing clothing and pads until she was nearly naked, standing there in the Tampa Bay locker room.

"Holy shit," she murmured in-between kisses, "If my teammates could see me now…naked, alone with Steven Stamkos…in this locker room…"

Stamkos laughed as he pulled her down onto the bench, "If they could see what we're about to do in a couple minutes…they'd _really_ freak out…"

…

John Carlson burst into the apartment, scaring Mathieu Perreault so badly the young center yelped in surprise.

"Carly?" asked MoJo as he walked back in from their little kitchenette, a sandwich in hand, "What the hell? What happened?"

Carlson was shaking with angry, pain and jealousy as he leaned against the counter, trying to control himself before he exploded with rage.

"She…he…Stamkos…was kissing her…on the damn ice…_on the fucking ice!_" he shouted, seething with fury.

Perreault's eyes flew open in horror at that as he exchanged a shocked glance with MoJo, "Um…what? They were _what?"_

"Yeah…they were making out on the goddamn ice," seethed Carlson as he slammed his fist into the counter, "I just…I wanted to kill him. I still do…I want him to bleed all over his own fucking ice rink!"

"Whoa, okay easy there buddy," said MoJo as he walked over and tried to massage John's tense shoulders, "Take some deep breaths…there's no need to be going around killing anyone."

"But you didn't see them," said Carlson, his voice strained with pain, "You didn't see…the way she looked up at him when he kissed her…"

MoJo winced a little at that, "Johnnie…she…she clearly really likes this guy…"

"Don't…just don't," muttered Carlson as he pulled away and headed toward his room, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

"Well shit," muttered Perreault.

MoJo nodded, "Yeah…well shit is right. Damn you Steven Stamkos…damn you."

…

Later that evening Camyrn slipped quietly back into the hotel suite, hoping not to wake anyone up, but the second she walked into the main living area, someone turned on a nearby lamp. She gasped a little, startled by the suddenly flicker of light, then breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw Carlson.

"John, you scared the shit outta me," she said quietly, "What are you doing up so late? It's two a.m.!"

Carlson studied Camyrn for a long moment, "I could ask you the same thing," he muttered quietly, "Where were you?"

Camyrn suppressed an angry retort. She was in way too good of a mood after this evening's events to resort to getting into a fight with her so-called-best-friend.

"I was out with Steven," she replied calmly, glancing away from Carlson.

Carlson gritted his teeth and looked away for a moment, "I know…I saw you."

Camyrn felt her heart leap up in her throat, "You what? You saw us? Where?"

Carlson swallowed back the emotion that was threatening to overwhelm him. He might as well tell her the truth. He had been debating the past few hours about whether or not to say anything to her when she came home, but now he figured he had nothing else to lose. Hell Stamkos pretty much owned her now…might as well go ahead and let it all out…get the pain over within one fatal swoop and then learn how to deal with it and move on.

"At the ice rink…well…you were _on _the ice rink…I went there because…I was looking for you," he said slowly, staring hard at the floor and not moving an inch from the recliner he was sitting in.

Camyrn looked up at Carlson, one eyebrow raised questioningly, "Looking for me? Why?"

Carlson cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly in his chair before he replied, "I was looking for you…because I had to tell you something. But that something doesn't really apply anymore after seeing you and…_Stamkos_," he said, spitting out the name like venom on the end of his tongue, "On the ice like that…"

Camyrn inclined her head a little, her eyes lighting up slightly with understanding as she worked out what Carlson was trying to say, "John…tell me," she said quietly, taking a step toward him.

Carlson shifted in his seat and shook his head at her, telling her silently not to come any closer, "I was looking for you because I…wanted to tell you…that…I had fallen, um, fallen in love…with you and I was trying to get you away from Stamkos but…I, um, I guess you've made your choice so it doesn't really matter anymore so…just um, forget I said anything this was a mistake," he said, standing up and turning to leave.

Camyrn's mouth was hanging open in shock. She reached out suddenly and grabbed Carlson's arm, stopping him from leaving the room.

"John…I," she stammered out, trying to find the words to reply to his shocking admission, "I…I don't even know…what to think…much less say right now…oh my god, John…why didn't you say anything?"

Carlson took one look at Camyrn's horrified expression and instantly knew what took place after that little scene on the ice. He felt that nauseated feeling creep up inside him again and grimaced as he looked at her.

"Oh god…Camyrn…you didn't," he said quietly, his face contorted in pain.

Camyrn took a step back and glanced away, biting her lip nervously.

"Aw shit," muttered Carlson as he clutched at his stomach, "I thought you were better than that Cam…what the hell? You barely even know him!"

"He's not like other guys, John!" argued Camyrn, feeling her own insides churn with unease and confusion, "I just…I feel like I've known him forever."

"But you HAVEN'T Cam!" said John, pleading with her to think clearly instead of thinking in this lovey-dovey haze she was clearly in, "You don't know anything about who he really is…hell he could have secrets no one knows anything about! You're setting yourself up for heartache, Cam and I don't want to be there to see it!"

Camyrn glared daggers at Carlson, "No you're just saying that because…" she trailed off, instantly feeling guilty for what she was about to say.

"Because what Cam?" asked Carlson with a sneer, "Because I love you more than that man ever could? Because I know you better than that man ever will? Because I'm jealous as hell that you're with him and not me? Well guess what? You're right…all of the above. Satisfied?"

Camyrn opened her mouth to reply but Carlson had already turned around and made a bee-line for his room, shutting the door behind him and leaving Camyrn out in the living room alone with her jumbled thoughts…

…

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	11. Writing on the Wall

**Kind of a shorter update today…it's more of an "in-between" moment because I'm going to skip ahead a few days in the next chapter to get the main plot of the story rolling a bit faster : ) But for the time being enjoy! I should be able to update tomorrow too seeing as how there's no Caps hockey until Saturday. **

"Whoa you look like death warmed over," muttered Perreault as he sauntered into the little kitchen the next morning, his hair sticking out wildly around his head as he yawned.

Camyrn groaned, "Yeah…didn't sleep."

"I can tell," said Perreault as he glanced at the dark circles under Camyrn's eyes, "Wanna talk about it?"

Camyrn hesitated then nodded toward Carlson's room. Perreault shook his head slightly, "Nah, he left early…like really early. Don't know where he went but he's gone…MoJo too. But I think the Swede went to the gym."

Camyrn relaxed a little at that, "Oh…well…Steven and I were out and…things happened."

Perreault raised an eyebrow at that, "Things happened? Like what kind of…ooo shit no you didn't," he said, his eyes widening with understanding.

Camyrn glanced away, "Yeah…I did. And that's fine and I didn't feel bad about it but…then…John…"

Perreault watched Camyrn bite her lower lip and look down, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. He cursed again and shook his head, "Oh my god…did he…did he tell you?"

Camyrn's head snapped up at that, "Wait…you knew?"

"Uh…" stammered Perreault, suddenly afraid that they weren't on the same page, "I dunno…what'd he tell you?"

"That…he loves me," said Camyrn, with a hitch in her voice.

Perreault closed his eyes for a moment, "Shit…yeah…yeah okay I knew about that. He um, he sorta admitted it the other day but we, me and MoJo, weren't positive so we kept out of it but told him to go get you last night when you were with Stamkos…aw shit…please don't tell me he walked in when you two were..."

"Kissing…on the ice…literally," said Camyrn, blushing a little, "Yeah he saw us. I didn't know he was there until I came back to the room and he was still up. He told me he saw us and then freaked out when I told him Stamkos and I had sex."

"Well…yeah I mean the kid loves you," said Perreault with a sigh, "I'd be pissed too if the woman I loved was sleeping with some all-star NHL boy."

Camyrn huffed in frustration, "But I didn't know! How the hell was I supposed to know John liked, loved, whatever…it's not my fault! Damn him! Now…everything is screwed up. I don't even know what to think anymore."

"Don't do anything for now," said Perreault as he moved over and put an arm around Camyrn, "Just…think through some things. Don't decide here and now. Give it time, okay?"

Camyrn frowned, "Yeah…okay. But…I'm still seeing Steven. He doesn't deserve to be dumped because John decided to be an idiot and wait till now to tell me he loves me."

Perreault frowned, "Okay…it's your choice I can't tell you what to do. Just…be careful okay?"

Camyrn nodded and gave Perreault a hug, "Thanks Mattie…this is why I love you."

"Eesh, easy does it on those three words," said Perreault as he pretended to be scared of Camyrn, "This love triangle does NOT need to become a love square."

Camyrn couldn't help but laugh at that, "Alright…I'm gonna go for a walk and think through some stuff. I'll um…I'll catch you later, okay?"

Perreault nodded at her as she left. He sighed to himself and silently prayed that some way, somehow this entire mess would be resolved as soon as possible…

…

Steven Stamkos was a nervous wreck. He felt nauseous, panicked, and wanted to just run as far away from Tampa Bay as humanely possible. This couldn't be happening…his life…everything was finally okay again and now _this._ Damn those Boston Bruins! They couldn't stop the Pittsburgh Penguins and fell in game six of the playoffs…now the Lightning would have to face the Penguins in the next round…and that was the very last thing Stamkos wanted to happen.

His past came roaring back into him like a massive tidal wave, sweeping through his mind and making hard to think, breathe, function at all. He couldn't face him again…not again…not after what happened. It was like a fucking nightmare. He didn't want to relive the pain of his past but for the next four to seven hockey games he would have to. He prayed Camyrn didn't find out…he prayed he could hold it together…he prayed that _he_ wouldn't bring it up and just let things go…but deep down Stamkos feared that none of the above would happen. It was inevitable…eventually Camyrn would have to find out the truth…eventually _he_ would bring it up again…and eventually Stamkos would have to go through the pain and torment he went through the last time he saw _him_.

Just then, Stamkos' phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Martin St. Louis. He breathed a little sigh of relief and answered the phone, "Martin…"

"I know," said Martin St. Louis when he heard the distress in Stamkos' voice. "I know, man…goddamn it. I'm so sorry. This shouldn't…this shouldn't have to happen. Goddamn those fucking Bruins!"

"I know," said Stamkos, clutching his stomach a little, "What…what do I do? I mean…I've found someone…someone important to me, Martin. And…I don't want this to screw it all up, you know?"

"You found another girl?" asked Martin, his voice raised a little with excitement, "That's fucking awesome man! Holy shit! Good for you!"

"Yeah, but Marty…when she finds out…what the hell do I do? What do I say?"

"I suggest you tell her the truth if she's that important to you," said St. Louis with a heavy sigh, "She may not take it well…but if she loves you…she'll be okay with it."

Stamkos winced at that, "I…I don't know, Marty. I think I'll hold off for now. I wanna…get to know her better you know?"

Marty snickered a little, "You mean you want her to fall in love with you enough to the point that she WILL be okay with it when you tell her and won't leave you."

Stamkos couldn't suppress a slight smirk at that. His best friend knew him all too well, "Yeah…something like that."

"Mmhm, alright man well do what you gotta do, you know I've got your back no matter what," said Marty.

"Thanks, man…I appreciate it."

Stamkos ended the call and leaned onto the counter of his luxurious apartment and took a few deep breaths. Maybe he was just over-reacting. After all…he still had about six more days before the next playoff round began…that was at least six more days before he MIGHT have to tell Camyrn about…his past. He shook his head, clearing away any dark, lingering thoughts for the moment. He picked up his phone again and scrolled down to Camyrn's number and hit dial. He wanted to see her again…she made him forget…made him happy even just for a few moments Stamkos knew that things were about to get rough…he could already see the writing on the wall. The past was coming back to ruin his future but he'd be damned if he didn't do everything he could to prevent it from happening. Regardless every moment with Camyrn was worth the risk…it was worth every second…

…

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	12. Truth Comes Out a Little at a Time

**In this chapter you'll find out a little bit about Stamkos' little secret he's kept from everyone but his best friend, Martin St. Louis! The plot thickens! Enjoy!**

_One Week Later…_

The next several days went by slowly and painfully for the four friends. Carlson and Camyrn were not on speaking terms and avoided each other as much as possible, leaving MoJo and Perreault to fill in the awkward silences and pretend that everything was okay. Camyrn had been seeing Stamkos for several hours every day and sometimes didn't come back to the room until the next morning. Perreault and MoJo tried to keep Carlson distracted and as happy as possible during the times Camyrn was out but it was really all in vain. There was nothing they could do to mend Carlson's shattered heart.

Early that morning, Camyrn walked into the hotel suite. She glanced over and saw Carlson, Perreault, and MoJo sitting in the living area watching something on the TV. They all looked up when she came in but Carlson refused to make eye-contact with her. She frowned at that, feeling an ache in her heart as she looked at her once-best-friend. They hadn't spoken in over a week now and things didn't look like they were going to get any better anytime soon. Camyrn had wanted to talk to Carlson about what he had said that night but he had made himself so cold and unavailable to her that she gave up. If that was how John was going to be then fine. She would stay with the man who clearly would do anything to keep her: Steven Stamkos.

"Um, hey guys," she said, clearing her throat to get their attention.

MoJo and Perreault mumbled a hello while Carlson continued staring intently at the TV screen as if he was fascinated by whatever was on.

"So…Steven gave me four free tickets to tonight's game," she said nervously, "If you know…you guys wanted to go. They're good seats…ice level right behind the Lightning bench."

Perreault glanced at MoJo before he answered, sounding enthusiastic, "Yeah I'm game! Wouldn't mind seeing what goes down…should be an interesting match-up."

"Yeah me too!" agreed MoJo, "I don't know which team to hate more…but yeah I'll go!"

Camyrn glanced at John, "And um…you, John? Did you, uh, wanna go tonight?"

Carlson stiffened as Camyrn addressed him directly for the first time in over a week. Camyrn bit her lip nervously, not sure what to expect.

Carlson cleared his throat awkwardly before he replied, "Um…sure…why not?"

Camyrn blinked in surprise, "Oh…oh that's…that's wonderful," she said, beaming happily at Carlson's response, "So I, uh, I'm gonna go hang out with Steven and Marty St. Louis for a bit then I'll come by and we can all go to the game?"

Perreault and MoJo both still looked shell-shocked by Carlson's response. They nodded numbly and tried to look as normal as possible.

"Yeah…sounds good," said Carlson, still looking at the TV.

Camyrn raised an eyebrow and exchanged shocked looks with Perreault and MoJo.

"Oh…okay then, I'll um, I'll see you guys later," she said as she slipped out of the room, still stunned by Carlson's nonchalant response. Maybe they were making progress? Maybe they could learn to be friends again?

…

Later that evening the four best friends filed into their row right behind the Lightning bench. Perreault and MoJo managed to finagle their way around the seats so that Carlson was forced to sit next to Camyrn. The two friends gave each other a secretive little high-five of victory and giggled a little as they contemplated what the result of their little scheme would be. They wanted Carlson and Camyrn to work out their differences and at least attempt to be friends. Tonight would be interesting that was for sure…

Meanwhile, out on the ice, Steven Stamkos felt sick to his stomach. He glanced over toward the other side of the ice rink where the Penguins were warming up and flinched visibly when he made eye-contact with Sidney Crosby. The Penguins captain sneered arrogantly as he got up from where he was stretching out on the ice and skated over to the center ice line. Stamkos gritted his teeth as he slowly slid over toward Crosby.

"How's it hangin' Stammer?" asked Crosby with a cocky little smirk, "Life going alright for you?"

"Fuck you," growled Stamkos, "Can't you just leave me the hell alone? You took everything I had from me already and I'm trying to move on so can you just drop it?"

Crosby raised an eyebrow at that, "Wow movin' on a little quick there aren't we Stammer?" he asked with a laugh, "You don't waste much time."

Marty St. Louis glanced over and saw Stamkos talking to Crosby. He cursed under his breath as he skated quickly over to them. He knew that whatever they were saying to each other couldn't be pleasant and wouldn't end well at all…for either of them.

Stamkos felt his teeth grind together in anger as he glared daggers at Crosby, "You have no idea the hell that you've put me through…what _both_ of you have put me through. You won, you got the girl, now just let me be!"

"Temper, temper," taunted Crosby, "No wonder your fiancé ran from your bed to mine, eh?"

Stamkos lunged at Crosby but St. Louis got there just in time and grabbed Stamkos, holding him back.

"Easy! Easy!" shouted St. Louis as he pushed Stamkos away from the center-ice line.

Crosby laughed as Malkin raced over, eager to support his captain if Stamkos decided to make another move, "No worries, eh, Geno? Stamkos won't touch me…he already knows I've won, as usual. Come on," he added as he turned his back to Stamkos, "Let's go finish warming up…we gotta beat these little bitches tonight."

…

Back in the stands, Camyrn was up on her feet, glaring daggers in Sidney Crosby's direction, "What the hell was that?"

"Dude, whatever Crosby said pissed off your boyfriend," said Perreault, eyes wide in surprise, "Wonder what that was all about?"

MoJo sneered, "Crosby's such a punk-ass tool…okay I've decided…I hate his team more than Stammer's. Let's go Bolts!"

Camyrn waited until St. Louis had calmed Stamkos down and led him back to his own side of the rink before she sat down, her brow furrowed in confusion and concern for her boyfriend.

"Crosby's a little bitch," muttered Carlson as he reached over and patted Camyrn lightly on the back, "Don't worry about it."

Camyrn gave John a grateful smile, "Thanks."

John smiled back even though it was killing him inside to see her so defensive of another man on another hockey team. He was going to try and move pass this…try and be friends again with Cam even though it would probably end up tearing his heart apart. He loved her and letting her go wasn't an option…even if he just had to keep her as a friend he would never let her go…he just couldn't…

…

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